Prestwick

Prestwick ( ) is a town and former royal burgh in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, and the small village of Monkton to the north. It had a population of 14,570 in 2022. The town was the first home of the Open Golf Championship, which was played on the Prestwick Old Course from 1860 to 1872. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is on the town's outskirts, providing passenger flights to European and, historically, transatlantic destinations as well as international cargo flights. Prestwick Academy is the towns only secondary school which, along with serving the town itself, serves the outlying villages of Symington and Monkton.

Prestwick ( ) is a town and former royal burgh in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, and the small village of Monkton to the north. It had a population of 14,570 in 2022. The town was the first home of the Open Golf Championship, which was played on the Prestwick Old Course from 1860 to 1872. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is on the town's outskirts, providing passenger flights to European and, historically, transatlantic destinations as well as international cargo flights. Prestwick Academy is the towns only secondary school which, along with serving the town itself, serves the outlying villages of Symington and Monkton.

Air travel

, an international airport opened in the 1930s. Glasgow Prestwick Airport, formerly Prestwick International Airport, opened in the 1930s. The airport was a transatlantic gateway for over half a century. It lies close to, and was the last European re-fuelling way-point on, the Great Circle route from London via Thule in Greenland to San Francisco in the US; it is now no longer relevant for modern aircraft with non-stop range. During World War II the US Army Air Corps had a base at the airport, and Elvis Presley set foot in the UK for the only time there on 3 March 1960, when his US Army transport aircraft stopped for refuelling en route from Germany. Though a period of decline in the 1980s and 1990s saw it lose its status as Scotland's primary transatlantic airport, Prestwick continues to handle US military flights. In July 2005, the airport was the main transport hub for world leaders attending the G8 conference in Gleneagles. The airport now caters to one low-cost airline, Ryanair. In addition, BAE Systems, Goodrich Corporation, Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aircraft Engines have maintenance/manufacturing facilities adjacent to the airfield.

Navy station and NATS

Prestwick has a Royal Navy Air Station, also known as HMS Gannet, where Sea King search and rescue helicopters were stationed until the role was civilianised in January 2016. Prestwick is a major air traffic control centre, with both the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (controlling 70% of UK airspace) and Prestwick Oceanic Area Control Centre (Shanwick Oceanic Control - responsible for air traffic over the eastern half of the North Atlantic) located at the NATS owned 'Scottish and Oceanic Area Control Centre'.

Bus and road

Prestwick is on the Ayrshire Coast Line between Glasgow Central and Ayr. Three trains per hour call at both and , with additional services at peak times. Glasgow is approximately 50 minutes from Prestwick by rail. The line continues south to the port of Stranraer on the Wigtownshire coast, but a change of trains at Ayr is usually required. The bus routes that run through Prestwick are usually run by Stagecoach Western including an express service to and from Glasgow known as the "X77". The A79 road runs directly through the town, and is normally reached from the A77 trunk road between Glasgow and Stranraer, or from the A78 Ayrshire coastal route to Largs and Greenock.

Demography

Councillors

Four Councillors currently represent the Prestwick ward as part of South Ayrshire Council.

Culture

Sports

St. Ninian's Park, nicknamed The Oval, is a public park located in the centre, and consists of 2 full size football pitches with indoor changing rooms, a tennis centre with 3 indoor courts and 8 outdoor, a 25m indoor swimming pool and gym, indoor bowling green and cricket club. Famous sportspeople from Prestwick are footballers Bob Anderson, Craig Conway, James Forrest, Giovanni Moscardini, Andrew Thomson, footballer turned MP Ian Welsh, professional wrestler Drew McIntyre, professional golfer William McGowan and figure skater Lewis Gibson.

Golf

Prestwick Golf Club is a classic links golf course, built on the rolling sandy land between the beach and the hinterland. The course is near the Prestwick airport, and some holes run along railway tracks on the eastern side of the course. The Open Championship originated at the club, and was played there 24 times between 1860 and 1925. Video and commentary on the Shaw Monument Video and commentary on St Nicholas Kirk, Prestwick Video and commentary on Bruce's or Kingcase Well

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1375997867 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.